Tool for cleaning heat exchanging surfaces and the like



Dec. 27, 1966 p, w so ET AL 3,293,680

TOOL FOR CLEANING HEAT EXCHANGING SURFACES AND THE} LIKE Filed Feb. 17, 1966 INVENTO'RS Paul W/L SON B Waller W/l 50 PA rz-w'r AGENT United States Patent 3,293,680 TOOL FOR CLEANING HEAT EXCHANGING SURFACES AND THE LIKE Paul Wilson, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, and Walter Wilson, Ville Jacques Cartier, Quebec, Canada Filed Feb. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 528,125 3 Claims. (Cl. 15104.1)

The present invention relates to a tool for cleaning heat exchanging surfaces in furnaces such as boiler tubes or the external surfaces of water sections in hot water furnaces and the like.

The usual manner of cleaning such heat exchanging surfaces is to use a brush or reaming device mounted at the end of a long pole, or rod, which is moved back and forth manually. This is a time-consuming operation which requires great effort.

The general object of the present invention resides in the provision of a portable power-operated tool for cleaning such heat exchanging surfaces in furnaces and the like, which therefore requires much less effort, which is easily manipulated and which can be firmly grasped with both hands to guide the cleaning tool at the end of the long rotary shaft despite lateral resistance forces exerted on the cleaning tool.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a power-operated portable tool of the character described, which is of light construction and in which the shaft is made of detachable sections which are easily, firmly and quickly connected to one another.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a cleaning tool of the character described, provided with lighting means on the tool for lighting the areas to be cleaned.

The foregoing and another important objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the tool in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial top plan view, partially in section, of the tool;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section on line 33 of FIGURE 4, of the coupling means for end to-end arranged shaft sections; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like elements throughout, the tool in accordance with the invention comprises in combination a pistol-shaped body .1 having a main elongated body portion 2 and an angularlydirected hand grip portion 3. Body 1 houses an electric motor and speed reducer, not shown, the motor adapted to be electrically-connected to an electric supply by an electric cord 4.

A switch for the electric motor is closed by pressing on a spring-loaded finger lever 5. The output shaft of the speed reducer is provided with a conventional chuck 6 disposed at one end of the main body portion.

A main shaft 7 is connected by chuck 6 to the output shaft of the speed reducer. Main shaft 7 extends through a hand grip 8. Hand grip 8 consists of an elongated block provided with an axial through bore 9 through which the shaft 7 extends.

Spaced ball bearings 10 are provided within the bore 9 and in which the shaft 7 is journalled.

Hand grip 8 is rigidly secured to body 1 by means of a pair of elongated spaced parallel fiat bars 11 disposed on both sides of. shaft 7 and spaced therefrom. Bars 3,293,680 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 11 are rivetted, or otherwise rigidly secured, at their ends to the end of main body portion 2 and to the proximate end of hand grip 8. Hand grip 8 is disposed at a sufficient distance from the hand grip 3 of body 1, such that the tool can be held with both hands in a very secure manner: one hand on the body \grip 3 and the other on the hand :grip 8, and .such that. the tool can be firmly maintained in its intended position.

The distance between the proximate end of the hand grip 8 and the end of main body portion 2 provided with chuck 6, will be preferably about 7", and, supposing the length of the main body portion to be about 7, the hand grip proximate end will be at a distance about equal to the length of the main body portion 2 from the chuck end of said main body portion.

The main shaft 7 extends forwardly from hand grip 8 and can be directly connected to a rotary brush 12, of conventional construction, or to any other rotary cleaning tool, such as a reamer; alternately, the rotary tool or brush 12 can be secured to the main shaft 7 by means of one or more intermediate shaft sections 13, depending on how far the brush must reach.

In accordance with the invention, simple connector means, generally shown at 14, are used for connecting the shaft sections 13 one to another and to the outer end of main shaft 7 and also the cleaning tool 12 to shaft 7 or to a shaft section 13.

Connectors 14 each are made of two parts, namely: a socket 15 and a block 16 adapted to fit within the socket 15. Socket 15 has a cavity 17 opening at one end of the socket and of non-circular cross-sectional shape, such as a square shape.

Socket 15 further has a side aperture 18 opening within the cavity 17. Block 16 has a non-circular cross sectional shape, such as a square shape, adapted to fit within cavity 17 of socket 15 and is provided with a laterally opening notch 19, in which is pivoted at 20 a catch 21 which is urged outwardly of block 16 by a leaf spring 22.

In its outward position, catch 21 provides a leading inclined edge 23, which abuts the end of the socket 15 when block 16 is inserted into said socket to thereby cause retraction of the catch 21 until the block 16 has reached its limit position within block 15, whereupon catch 21 moves outwardly through side aperture 18 of socket 15 under the action of the spring 22, to thereby lock the two shaft sections in coupled condition.

To release the coupling, catch 21 is pressed inwardly to clear aperture 18, whereupon the two shaft sections may be separated.

One or more shaft sections 13 may thus be connected to the main shaft 7, depending on how far the operator has to reach with the brush 12 or other cleaning device within the furnace.

In order to illuminate the area being cleaned, a lighting device comprising a reflector within a light assembly 24 and a light bulb, is mounted on the outer end of hand grip 8, such that the reflector is directed towards the brush 12. The light bulb is connected to the main power supply, that is to cord 4, by means of electric cord 24 running along the hand grip 8 and one of the bars 11.

The tool in accordance with the invention is of light construction and therefore easily manipulated, and the arrangement of the hand grip 8 which is spaced a substantial distance from the hand grip 3 of body 1, ensures that the tool can be securely held with both hands and maintained in the desired position against laterally directed reaction forces exerted on the brush 12, or other cleaning device, when said brush 12 is laterally applied against the surface to be cleaned. This would be impossible to achieve without the provision of the hand grip 8 spaced a substantial distance from hand grip 3.

While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention has been illustrated and described, it is understood that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A portable tool for cleaning heat exchanging surfaces in furnaces and the like comprising a pistol-shaped body providing an elongated main body portion and a hand grip body portion, said body housing an electric motor and speed reducer, a chuck rotatably carried by one end of said main body portion and driven by said motor and speed reducer, a long shaft having one end engaging and gripped by said chuck, a rotary cleaning tool detachably connected to the other end of said shaft, a hand grip in the form of an elongated block having an axial bore surrounding said shaft intermediate the ends of said shaft with said shaft extending through said bore, bearings mounted in said bore and in which said shaft is journalled, elongated support members extending along said shaft between said body and said hand grip and rigidly secured to the latter and to said body and supporting said hand grip at a distance from said chuck at least equal to the length of said body main portion.

2. A portable tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elongated support members consist of two spaced 4 fiat parallel bars spaced from and disposed on opposite sides of said shaft.

3. A portable cleaning tool as claimed in claim 1, said long shaft includes shaft sections adapted to be detachably connected in end-to-end relation, connectors for detachably connecting said shaft sections, said connectors made of a first and second parts respectively secured to the ends of said shaft sections, said first part consisting of a socket having an end cavity, of noncircular cross-section, and a lateral opening for said cavity, said second part consisting of a block of noncircular cross-section adapted to non-rotatably fit said socket cavity, said block having a laterally opening notch and a spring-urged latch pivotally mounted in said notch and urged outwardly to extend through said cavity lateral opening to releasably lock the two parts together.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

E. L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PORTABLE TOOL FOR CLEANING HEAT EXCHANGING SURFACES IN FURNACES AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING A PISTOL-SHAPED BODY PROVIDING AN ELONGATED MAIN BODY PORTION AND A HAND GRIP BODY PORTION, SAID BODY HOUSING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR AND SPEED REDUCER, A CHUCK ROTATABLY CARRIED BY ONE END OF SAID MAIN BODY PORTION AND DRIVEN BY SAID MOTOR AND SPEED REDUCER, A LONG SHAFT HAVING ONE END ENGAGING AND GRIPPED BY SAID CHUCK, A ROTARY CLEANING TOOL DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID SHAFT, A HAND GRIP IN THE FORM OF AN ELONGATED BLOCK HAVING AN AXIAL BORE SURROUNDING SAID SHAFT INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID SHAFT WITH SAID SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BORE, BERARINGS MOUNTED IN SAID BORE AND IN WHICH SAID SHAFT IS JOURNALLED, ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS EXTENDNG ALONG SAID SHAFT BETWEEN SAID BODY AND SAID HAND GRIP AND RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE LATTER AND TO SAID BODY AND SUPPORTING SAID HAND GRIP AT A DISTANCE FROM SAID CHUCK AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID BODY MAIN PORTION. 